Spring Arrives

Spring officially began in Argentina this past Sunday, Sept. 21, but we welcomed in the new season yesterday, when blue skies and a warming sun sent temperatures up to 21 degrees Celsius (about 70 F) and beckoned us outside. We celebrated at our favorite outdoor eating spot: Croque Madame, a French-style cafe attached to the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, about a 15-minute walk from our apartment. Kurt had the French onion soup, Linda the saffron risotto; we shared the complimentary appetizer (pate and toasted bread), a green salad, bottle of mineral water, and a nice bottle of white wine. 

The museum is housed in a palatial building completed in 1918 as the residence of the Errazuriz Alvear family, prominent figures in Argentine history. It exemplifies the estilo frances architecture so pervasive here in the early 20th century (albeit on a very grand scale!).

Civic Duties

Last night we attended our first convocation of the homeowners' association for our building. Six of the seven units were represented. We met in the apartment of the "administradora" who has lived on the 4th floor for around 25 years and raised three boys there with her husband.

We agreed on a higher dues for the next year, mostly due to inflationary pressures and most particularly because of retirement contributions for Don Tito, who does basic cleaning for the building three times a week. 

Today we faxed our requests for federal absentee ballots to the Travis County Clerk. We hope our votes will count.

The Downsizing Continues

Six hundred days of music are now compressed into one small Ipod with access through our new Bose portable docking station, a wonderfully compact audio marvel. This duo resides on the top shelf of our petite desk . . . much more efficiently than the 200-some CDs and boom box they replaced.

By downloading and transferring the contents of the CDs, we've freed up more valuable space in our apartment and further minimized the number of possessions requiring our care and attention. 

Now, if Linda could only find a similar technology for shoes . . . .

Back in BA . . . and Back to Business

We're back in Buenos Aires after a 6-week adventure that took us from Stockholm, Sweden, to the very southern tip of Italy, and then to Paris (with a one-day side excursion to St. Malo in Normandy). Lots of good food, friendly people, and beautiful sites. We'll post photos here soon.

But for now we're nesting. First item on the agenda when we returned Sept. 9 was going through and organizing the contents of those too many boxes from our household shipment that were delivered literally hours before we took off on our trip. Much has been accomplished on that front. However, pending arrival of bookcases and other furniture, books and photos will have to remain in their containers.

Second action item: picking up our DNIs (Documento Nacional de Identidad). This precious "national identity document" facilitates financial transactions and travel and is solid evidence of our legal status here in Argentina. We picked up the DNIs this afternoon. Gaining them represents the culmination of many steps in the bureaucratic process. It also serves as a milestone: no more paper shuffling until next year, when we renew our temporary residency for another 12 months.